Lady Cougars 91

Club Training, College Visit & Girls Night Out

2007-04-27T04:04:00.000-07:00

Ladies,
first of all, well done last night in beating GT United 2-0. It wasn't the prettiest win and I was expecting a bit of a psychological letdown after the tournament win last weekend. But the letdown didn't happen. Once again, you showed great work ethic.

Some updates...
We finally have club training scheduled for you. It will be on Monday and Tuesday of next week (April 30th and May 1st) at 7 - 8:30 PM at Progress Park. Several female players from CBU's college team will lead the training, which will be a good time.

I also have tentatively scheduled a special event for the ladies next Friday, May 4th. Kieron Heblich, a Lobos coach and also head women's coach at CBU has offered to host a college tour to the entire team next Friday afternoon after school. The tour should take no more than 90 minutes but it should give the girls important insights into college life. I want to emphasize that this is not just for girls who want to play soccer in college - I want the ladies to start thinking about greater endeavors in life, whatever they may be, and that would start with college. I will work on the logistics of carting the ladies down to CBU and back.

After the college tour would be a good night for the ladies to have a victory dinner to celebrate a fantastic season. This would take place in Collierville after the college tour and may be combined with a movie or something the girls will concoct - I will leave that to them.

On another matter, I will send you hotel information for the State tournament very shortly. Tenn Soccer is still making arrangements for the Tournament itself and I will pass those details along when I get them.

Champions

2007-04-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

Ladies,

absolutely fantastic job this weekend. You suffered through muscle fatigue, heat and sunburn and you became champions. I was so proud and honored to be with you this weekend. I hope the hours spent in the practice field are and were worthwhile. The only thing that would have made this better is if Lexie, Sam and Kelley could have been with us on the field - but their hard work made all this possible. Good work ladies - we're proud of you!!!

Update April 8th

2007-04-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

Soccer This Week
We have a big game this week against MFC. We're second in the standings behind them. This is a game we have to win.

Monday, April 9th - practice 7-8:30 PM @ Progress
Tuesday, April 10th - game vs. MFC 8:00 PM @ MRSC 2, wear blue
Thursday, April 12 - practice 7 - 8:30 PM @ Johnson

Coach Sonny

State Tournament Update

2007-04-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

You ladies had a good two days so I decided you could take an early Easter break. After our win on Monday, we played a U-19 rec team on Tuesday. We won 3-1 despite playing 2 men down after Julianna got hurt. Enjoy your Thursday and the rest of Easter. We need to have a sharp practice on Monday as we have a tough game on Tuesday against MFC.

I sent off our application for the State Tournament today. All players have committed to the State Tournament - only two have issues with the final weekend but will be available for the first. Caroline Higdon, a 92 Lobos player and goalkeeper, will play for us at State (I'll pay her way). Hopefully we'll know sometime next week who we'll be up against.

Of course, this means I have to collect money from you again, but this will be the last time! $35 from each family will cover the cost of the State tournament fees. As before, please make your checks out to "Jennifer Beyer" and give them either to me or Jennifer the next time you see us.

Coach Sonny

Team Picture

2007-03-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

Check out the mugs on this lot!

State Tournament

2007-03-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

All,
as I alluded to last week when I sent out the updated schedule, its time to organize for the Div. 2 State Tournament. I have to apply our team by Friday, April 6th.

There will tentatively be a regional qualifying tournament on May 5-6 somewhere near Nashville. This regional qualifier will only happen if enough teams apply for the tournament. We have to plan for playing that weekend. The State finals will be May 19-20, two weeks after the qualifier, this is also in Nashville. Again, we have to plan on this weekend. As I said before, normally teams this old go straight to the Finals but I can't be sure about this, nor will Tenn Soccer commit to anything, until the deadline of April 6th passes.

Now some background. Sam can't play in the 91 bracket because she is too old - and the U-16 bracket is the oldest bracket. Also, Julianna has been guest playing as a goalkeeper with the 91 Lady Lobos in their D1 qualifying after the Lobos lost their goalie this past January. The agreement I have with the Lobos coach is that she remains a Cougar for the regular season (and guest plays for the Lobos) and if the Lobos qualify for D1 State, she can play with them. But if they don't qualify, she plays with us at D2 State. Regardless, I have Caroline Higdon, a 92 Lobos goalie, in reserve in case Julianna does not go with us.

It is my intention to take the girls to State. The proviso is, we need to have enough players. I must freeze the roster by April 20th. Therefore, I'm asking you to give me a definite "yes" if your daughter can play both weekends in question. Due to the limits on rostering, I will need an affirmative response by at least 12 girls for both weekends to go forward. If you can play one weekend but not another one, tell me that too. So please respond by email at sonnyb@midsouth.rr.com by April 4th with your "yes or "no."

In case you're wondering, there are other options other than D2 State. D3 State is the weekend of May 12-13, which is Mother's Day weekend. We did this last year and I don't want to have to play again on Mother's Day. Besides, there was no D3 State for U-16 teams last year.

If we can't get enough players for D2 State for whatever reason, we can possibly play in a tournament the weekend of May 5-6. More to come.

Coach Sonny

JAWS Tournament Hotel Information

2007-03-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

All,
I have set aside 15 rooms at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Jackson, TN for the night of April 21st for the JAWS tournament. All rooms have two double beds, so they sleep four. The hotel also offers free continental breakfast in the morning. The plan is to stay just one night in the hotel as Jackson is just a 90 minute drive. I've requested a late morning game to start with on Saturday, and I'm guessing we'll play another game Saturday and at least one Sunday.

To reserve a room, you must call La Quinta 731-664-1800 and give your credit card information to the receptionist. The rooms are blocked under the group: Lady Cougars Soccer, with me (Sonny Beyer) as the contact. YOU MUST RESERVE YOUR ROOM BY MARCH 21st or the room will be released from hold.

I realize some of your parents may not travel with you and you will room with other girls, which is fine of course. Just make sure you talk to your families and teammates about your plans so you won't lose a hotel room. If you have any questions, please call at 412-4717 or email.

Coach Sonny

Game Preparation

2007-03-02T18:34:00.000-08:00

Ladies,
a few words after last Thursday...
Preparing to play a game is just as important as actually playing it. Normal team practice and pregame warm-up rituals are part of that preparation. Not only do you have to get "into" the game physically, you have to get into it mentally as well. You can't show up 20 minutes prior to a game in varying stages of undress and think you can just roll right in and play. We got away with it in out first game, but we didn't in our second.

The reason I ask you to be at the field 30 minutes prior fully clothed in your uniform is so we can start our warm-up ritual right away. We seem to have a problem with some of us (and all have been guilty from time to time) either showing up late, not dressed, under-dressed if it is cold out, or missing equipment. If we start the pregame ritual late, we don't stretch correctly, we can't get our heads together mentally and it takes us 15 minutes to figure out what is going on - and we can't waste 15 minutes.

Starting Tuesday, we will meet 45 minutes prior to the start of each game unless I say otherwise. This will give us plenty of time to warm-up, stretch and do the pregame talk with the cones. I know you all are leading complicated lives, especially now that some of you are driving yourselves. That is one of the reasons I'm switching to 45 minutes prior, to allow you to decompress from the drive seeing as now you have to park your car instead of getting dropped off. This is going to require time management on your part - just like you manage time for school. Allow 5 extra minutes for the drive to Mike Rose. Pack your soccer bags the night prior if you have to so you can get right into your homework when you get home from school. Look, showing up on time tells your teammates you are ready for them. If you're not prepared you let them down, not me. But most important of all, I want to see your bright smiling faces and not harried looks as you show up.

I realize some of you are going to be late from time to time due to other things in your life. Just drop me an email or call my cell: 412-4717 so I get warning beforehand, the sooner the better. Then drive slowly and safely to Mike Rose. Another thing, be dressed or show up early enough to dress. If its cold outside, wear a sweatshirt until you start to get overheated from the running - I can't stand seeing some of you ladies shivering with hypothermia when you first get there. OK, off my soapbox.

The week of March 5-9...
Monday, scrimmage with 93 Lady Lobos - be at Progress at 6:45 PM, we will start when we get warmed up, most likely a bit after 7 PM. Wear your blue uniform!!!
Tuesday, game vs. GT United 2 team. Show at Mike Rose field 8 at 5:15 PM, white uniform
Thursday, practice at Johnson Park 7-8:30 PM

Remember, bright, smiling faces!!

Coach Sonny

Update 2/25/07

2007-02-25T18:28:00.000-08:00

Ladies,
this is a repeat of a post from last year but I wanted to reiterate the importance of fitness and a solid technical foundation for soccer. We may have a few practices canceled here and there which we may or may not be able to make up. If we can't make them up, particularly the early ones, we need to make sure we're doing the things we're supposed to be doing to stay fit. Some of you are doing other sports right now and that is a good way to assist in your fitness upkeep.

Also, there will be changes in the schedule and I will try to add scrimmages in when possible.

1. Running - as I told you before, soccer running is just about all sprints - there is no jogging involved. Therefore, you can increase your soccer running fitness by doing "fartleks." This is when you sprint at regular intervals when you are on a run. For instance, try to run at a jog for 20 minutes. Every five minutes, increase your jog to a full sprint for 30 seconds (the fartlek), then slow back down to your jog. As you get better, you can run for longer periods and sprint for longer periods. For now, jog for 20 minutes with the sprints every five minutes.

2. Exercises - stomach exercises are very important. Do as many crunches in a sitting as you can. The crunches with your legs extended upward are very effective. Also, try to hold the "Bridges" for two minutes, then add on 15 seconds the next times you do them. Hold side bridges for about 30 seconds or as long as you can stand them.

TECHNICAL

1. Wall touches. If you have a brick wall at your house, and chances are you do (and your parents let you), practice striking a soccer ball against the wall. You only need to stand about 5 ft away from the wall to be effective. Hit the ball 100 times with each your left and right feet trapping the ball each time or playing one-touch back to the wall. This is a great way to improve your touch. You can also throw the ball against the wall and head it back or body trap. Do 50 body traps.

2. Juggling. If you don't have a wall, you can juggle the ball. Remember also to throw the ball a few feet in the air and practice trapping it with all parts of your body (except hands and arms!)If you do these few fitness and technical drills, you can greatly enhance your game in a short time. You won't need to spend time at practice going over the basics.

Team Update 2/18

2007-02-18T06:19:00.000-08:00

Ladies,
fantastic job yesterday against the 91 Lady Lobos!
You played arguably the best 91 team in town in frigid conditions. You played against a howling wind in the first half - and going against the wind always fatigues a team worse than playing with the wind - which is why I always take the wind when given the choice at the coin toss. You played on after one of your players took a knock to the head - and scored a top class goal to boot.

There were a lot of good things to take away from the game. For one, the Lobos attempted to play 2 touch the entire game. That lasted about one minute as you guys kept them under too much pressure and they had to do more dribble possession. The several set pieces (corner kicks) we either had offensively or defended, you girls were very organized. They didn't even come close on any of their corners and of course, we scored off of a corner.

Because I played a lot of you out of position, I won't give you too many tactical comments. We need to work on fitness. We were flagging at about the 60 minute mark (10 minutes left in the game) and under a lot of pressure. Soccer fitness training involves a lot of sprints done over an extended period of time, because that's the kind of running we do in soccer - essentially 5 miles of sprinting over an 80 minute period!! The Lobos were more fit than we were but as they have D1 league they have to peak earlier. We have the luxury of being able to peak physically a bit later in the Spring - but we still need the work.

We also need to work on technical stuff. We could have passed and trapped much better as a group. Off the ball movement was lacking too. All this could be attributed to a lack of fitness - as you make more technical mistakes the more fatigued you are.

Anyway, a fine job on Saturday. We'll see you MOnday.

Sonny

Spring Game and Practice Schedule

2007-02-14T17:59:00.000-08:00

The practice and game schedule has been posted and sent to your individual email accounts. Several things to note about the schedule...

1. It is subject to change. Games and practices may get rained out and rescheduled or I may get a scrimmage scheduled so please update your schedules as you get changes or I send you new schedules.

2. There will be things added on like club training, for which I don't have a date yet.

3. There are several breaks in the schedule, one during the early part of Spring break and again right after the JAWS tournament. As much as possible, I'd like to keep those days free but rained out games may get re-scheduled in those places.

4. This Saturday, please wear regular soccer clothes. We will wear pinnies during the game. Please show up at 10:00 AM ready to go.

Coach Sonny

Cougars Update 2/6/07

2007-02-06T12:58:00.000-08:00

A lot of new information...

1. First of all, practice Sunday has been moved from 2-3:30 PM at Suggs Park at the request of several teenagers on the team. In this case, the parents meeting is now scheduled for 3 PM and will last no longer than 15 minutes. We will cover a few administrative details and should be the ONLY meeting I should call for the season. Please let me know if you can't make it and I will get with you on some of the details.

2. One of the "details" we need to cover are team fees for the season. these would be referee fees for MSSF, rental fees at Goose's, and 2 tournament fees (BCB and JAWS). According to my calculations, $108 per player should cover everything. The State Tournament fees, thought not particularly expensive, is something we'll have to discuss on Sunday. You can bring a check for $108 on Sunday made out to Jennifer Beyer. Which brings me to another point. This is a very bare bones operation with no team overhead fees or complications. My wife Jennifer is the manager because nobody else wants to be manager. By default, she is also the treasurer. Jennifer keeps an account ledger - a real one like you see in old TV shows like "Little House On The Prarie" - to follow the team fees. If any parent would like to take the honor/job of being team manager, we can talk more about that after the meeting.

3. Another important detail is paperwork. As we always have to do, we have to update player photos each year for the player cards. This year I'm just going to take digital pictures of the girls at the next practice and be done with it unless you have some pictures of your girl that you just have to give me. So returning players should be squared away as long as your daughter comes to practice on Sunday or you get me a picture on Monday night at Goose's. Please get all paperwork to me on Sunday if you can - Monday at the latest.

New players need three things: photo (which I will take care of), a signed and NOTARIZED medical release form, and a photocopy of your child's birth certificate. I will email the release form only to the affected players. If you happen to have the medical release form/photocopy of birth certificate from your old teams, you are welcome to use them and bring them on Sunday.

4. The MSSF schedules are supposed to be released electronically on Thursday on the Mike Rose website: http://www.mikerosesoccercomplex.com/, then click MSSF and follow the prompts for High School Girls Bracket B and look for the Lady Cougars. So you'll know the game schedule. CPARD is supposed to release the town fields for practice beginning Feb. 14th. Hopefully, we'll have a stable practice schedule several days later.

5. Practice schedule:
Sunday, Feb. 11th, 2-3:30 PM at Suggs
Monday, Feb 12th, 8-9 PM at Goose's
Sunday, Feb 18th, 2-3:30 PM at Suggs
Games to follow the week of the 19th...

Sonny

Important Team Updates

2007-01-30T04:54:00.000-08:00

Here are some important team updates...

1. Schedule:
Tuesday, Jan. 29th, 6-8 PM @ Collierville Christian Church - College Soccer seminar
8:15 - 9 PM @ Gymstars - indoor conditioning
Wednesday, Jan. 30th, 8:15 - 9 PM @ Gymstars - indoor conditioning (last session)
Sunday, Feb 4th, 3-4:30 PM @ Suggs Park - practice
Monday, Feb. 5th, 7:30-8 PM @ Goose's - MANDATORY TEAM MEETING (PLAYERS ONLY)
8-9 PM @ Goose's - indoor practice
Sunday, Feb 11th, 3-4:30 PM @ Suggs Park - practice, PARENTS meeting at 4:15 PM at Suggs
Monday, Feb. 12th, 8-9 PM @ Goose's - indoor practice

2. Some notes about the above...
We're in that gray period where indoor conditioning ends but the outdoor fields have not opened yet. This is why I have several weekend practices and I'm renting Goose's on Monday nights. I will have a mandatory team meeting with the ladies at 7:30 PM on Monday the 5th at Goose's. I will have a follow-up parents meeting at practice the following Sunday. These meetings are long overdue (mostly my fault) so please try to attend the parent meeting as I will need feedback from you. For the indoor practices at Goose's, the ladies need to bring indoor soccer shoes (or tennis shoes) and a ball in addition to their other soccer gear. For our outdoor practices, the normal soccer gear will suffice, but dress warmly.

3. Directions to the above...
Suggs Park - one block south of Collierville town square
Goose's - in Collierville, turn southeast onto Hwy. 72 from Poplar. Go about 2 miles down Hwy. 72. Just after intersection of Distribution Parkway and Hwy. 72, get in left turn lane and make first available left turn. Goose's is the nondescript building on the left, parking is to the right of the building. If you get to the traffic light at South and Hwy. 72, you've gone too far.

4. MSSF brackets -
here are the teams we will be playing in MSSF this Spring:

High School Girls B

Bartlett SC '92 Girls
Rowdies U16 Girls
91 Lady Cougars
GT United HS Girls 1
GT United HS Girls 2
Lady Aces
Memphis FC 92 Girls
Purple Rain 93
Wildcats

I don't know much about the Aces or Wildcats. We are going to play several teams who have slightly older players and some slightly younger teams, but this should be a good group.

Team Update 1/26/07

2007-01-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

Schedule Updates as of today...

Saturday, 1/27, 9:30 - 11:00 AM: 6 v. 6 Scrimmages at McCray Park
Tuesday, 1/30, 6 - 8 PM: College Soccer Seminar @ Collierville Christian Church
8: 15 - 9 PM: indoor conditioning at Gymstars
**due to time constraints, if you attend the seminar, you don't have to go to the indoor conditioning - however, you may attend both if you wish**
Wednesday, 1/31, 8:15 - 9 PM: indoor conditioning at Gymstars
Sunday, 2/4, 3-4:30 PM: practice @ Suggs Park

More to follow...

Team Update 1/13/07

2007-01-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

Ladies,
here's the schedule for the next several weeks...

Tuesday, Jan. 16, 8:15 - 9 PM - indoor conitioning at Gymstars
Wednesday, Jan. 17, 8:15 - 9 PM - indoor conitioning at Gymstars
Tuesday, Jan. 23, 8:15 - 9 PM - indoor conditioning at Gymstars
Wednesday, Jan. 24, 8:15 - 9 PM - indoor conditioning at Gymstars
Saturday, Jan. 27, 9:30 - 11:00 AM (tentatively) - 6 v. 6 scrimmages at McCray Park
Tuesday, Jan. 30, 8:15 - 9 PM - indoor conditioning at Gymstars
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 8:15 - 9 PM - indoor conditioning at Gymstars

Reminder: I will be away on a business trip for the next several weeks but coach Keith (Tackeberry) will be coaching the girls at the indoor sessions.

Lady Cougars Update 12/31/91

2006-12-29T15:08:00.000-08:00

Ladies/Parents,
I hope you had a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year. There are several things I need to update you on...

1. Indoor conditioning will begin the week of Jan. 8th and will last four weeks. This will be at Goose's indoor sports facility on Hwy. 72 in Collierville (more exact directions to follow later). The purpose of the conditioning will be just that - conditioning. There will be some ball work but the facility is too small for any complicated training with soccer balls. Plan on two one-hour sessions during the week.

2. We will also have some outdoor training/games tentatively on Saturday Jan. 13 and 27th. These are the 7 v. 7 games I alluded to earlier. They will take place at Suggs Park in Collierville on the Saturday mornings in question. I am trying to finalize the details with Clint Browne, coach of the 92 Lady Lobos.

3. MSSF play will start the week of Feb. 19th. I would imagine we would start outdoor practice the first week of February, which would give us a grand total of two weeks practice prior to our first game, hence the need for the outdoor 7 v. 7 games in January.

4. We will need to have a team parents meeting sometime late January/early February so I can discuss the upcoming season, namely our goals and our approach as a team. I will have a player meeting sometime prior to that so I can go over team goals and rules. Long story short, our girls are on the cusp of adulthood - some of them can, God help us, drive already - so my approach is to burden them (the players) with most team responsibilities and not the parents.

5. For planning purposes, I am looking at the following tournaments to enter our girls...
March 17-18 (last weekend of Spring break) - Blues City Blowout @ Mike Rose
April 21-22 - Shootout in the West @ Jackson, TN
April 28-29 - Grrrrl's Elite @ Mike Rose OR May 5-6 Superclubs @ Mike Rose
May 19-20 (tentative) - State Tournament @ Nashville

6. Finally, I've had a slight change to my job at Fedex that will require me to miss most of January. Most of you know Keith Tackeberry, Lexie's dad, who is also a Lobos coach and coached the girls on several occasions last Spring. He will be stepping in for me in my absence. I will be gone from Jan. 2-8 and again Jan. 14-26.

If you have any questions, please email me at sonnyb@midsouth.rr.com or call me at 853-8982.

Sonny

Cougars 91 Update Dec. 12th

2006-12-12T17:57:00.000-08:00

Ladies (and Moms and Dads),
The Lobos have asked us if we were interested in playing in an informal 7 v. 7 outdoor league at Suggs Park on Saturday mornings beginning Jan. 13th and running about a month. We would most likely play against the 92 Lobos in a split-team format, that is, each team would split up into an "A" team and a "B" team to make four teams total. We would then play one game a week and run the "league" in a round robin format. The games would last about an hour and would be played on Saturday mornings around 10 or 11. This all would be very informal and there would be no referees. The coaches would be more like spectators and referees.

The nice thing about this is that its a welcome break from the indoor conditioning routine and the games can play rain or shine at Suggs. As well, this is also a new thing I didn't warn you about so I will need to know how many girls can commit to this before we go forward. If we have to, we can make just one team and rotate players through the roster, although I'd prefer two so the girls can get more touches on the ball.

I know some of you are doing other sports or things in the winter. So if you CAN NOT commit to this winter league, then please email me back at sonnyb@midsouth.rr.com. If you can only commit partially, then please let me know that too.

Coach Sonny

Update December 1st

2006-12-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

Great job last night ladies!! First time we've beaten a Lobos team. You all should be as proud of your effort as I was.

Here's what's coming up...
December - no outdoor soccer. Merry Christmas!!

January - indoor conditioning will begin the 2nd week of January and run approx. 4 weeks. We also may have weekly 6 v. 6 outdoor scrimmages with the 91 and 92 Lobos on Saturdays.

February - Outdoor practices begin early February. MSSF season begins week of Feb. 19th.

Coach Sonny

Last Week of Preseason

2006-11-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

Remaining Schedule:

Monday, Nov. 27 - practice 7 - 8:30 PM at Powell
Thursday, Nov. 30th - scrimmage vs. 92 Lady Lobos at Progress Park, show at 6:45 PM (dress warmly - I will distribute pinnies)

I will post winter conditioning schedules in December.

Coach Sonny

Fall Training

2006-10-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome back ladies!!!
Our Fall practice sessions are listed below:

Saturday, Oct. 28th: 4:45 - 6:15 PM Open Soccer/Powell Park Field 4/5
Monday, Oct. 30th: 7 - 8:30 PM Powell Field 4
Thursday, Nov. 2nd: 6:30 - 8:00 PM Progress Park (scrimmage vs. U-19/Real Madrid)

Monday, Nov. 6th: 7 - 8:30 PM Powell #4
Thursday, Nov. 9th: 8 - 9:15 PM Progress Park (scrimmage vs. U-19/Cosmos - note, no school the next day due to Veteran's Day)

Monday, Nov. 13th: 7 - 8:30 PM Powell Field 4
Wednesday, Nov. 15th: 7 - 8:30 PM Progress Park (scrimmage vs. U-19/Roma)

Monday, Nov. 20th: 7 - 8:30 PM Powell Field 4

Monday, Nov. 27th: 7 - 8:30 PM Powell Field 4
Thursday, Nov. 30th: time TBD scrimmage against team TBD

Coach Sonny

91 Ladies Roll On

2006-05-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

The 91 Lady Cougars dismantled the Collierville Soccer U-19 rec side Real Madrid 5-1 last Thursday, May 18th. All the Cougars were younger than their opponents, who had three senior varsity girl soccer players from CHS among their team. Well done ladies!

Congratulations Lady Cougars!

2006-05-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

The 91 Lady Cougars made history by becoming the first Cougars team to medal at a tournament when the 91 Ladies came in second at the Div 3 Tennessee State Soccer Tournament. The girls went 2-1 for the tournament and won both their Sunday games - beating Tullahoma 1-0 and the Jackson Lady Flyers 3-0. The silver medal winning team is pictured above.

Players are: standing L to R: Ashley Crockett, Tori Foster, Kelsey Evans, Sam Lejeune, Jenna Franklin, Chelsea Autry, Rebekah Silver, Madison Leonard, Alyssa Harvey, Andrea Dorris. Seated L to R: Heather Deranian, Taylor Hazlerig, Hayley Wolf, Allison Tutt, Katelynn Davis, Julianna Beyer. Players not pictured but still part of the team: Jessica Rafferty, Lexie Tackeberry, Kelley Martin, Hannah Grisanti. Coaches: Sonny Beyer, John Deranian & Anne Clinton.

Parents Game picture

2006-04-18T00:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks again for coming out! Here are the final tallies...

Goals: Girls 4 Parents 0

Contusions: Parents 6 Girls 0

Sprains: Parents 5 Girls 0

Ball Outlines Tatooed Somewhere On Your Body: Parents 7 Girls 0

Amount of ice cream eaten after the game: Parents 4 lbs Girls 3 lbs.

I think you see the trend here. The girls "won" in the traditional sense if you just count goals. But in every other statistical category the parents won a resounding victory. Maybe next time we play I'll buy ice cream for just the parents!

Check out this website

2006-04-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

For those of you who want to work on your magical dribbling skills, check out the DFW Tornadoes website at: http://www.dfwtornados.org/homework.htm . The moves each have a video accompanying it to show you exactly how to do it.

Enjoy

Team Picture

2006-03-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

Soccer Philosophy, Part 1

2006-03-20T12:02:00.000-08:00

Ladies,
great job at the tournament this weekend! Our "preseason" is over. I will reward your third place finish this weekend with an extra scoop of ice cream after the parents game on March 25th.

And to start things off right, here's some soccer philosophy which will guide you through your soccer playing life...

1. During a soccer game you will make dozens of errors, some small, some big. Don't worry about them, just fix them.

2. There is no such thing as an "offensive" player or a "defensive" player. Everybody plays offense and defense. A goalkeeper with the ball is playing offense. A forward who loses the ball in the opponents end is the first defender.

3. A goalkeeper is only as good as the 10 players in front of her.

4. A goalscorer is finishing the work of the other ten players behind her.

Spring Break Homework

2006-03-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

Ladies,
now that Spring break is here and we'll have fewer practices for the time being, I'm sure you'll be suffering soccer withdrawal at the same time you'll miss school. To prevent this - and to supply you a way you can keep in soccer shape - here are a few things you can do to keep your soccer fitness up. By the way, you can work on this "extra credit" during the main part of the season as well.

FITNESS

1. Running - as I told you before, soccer running is just about all sprints - there is no jogging involved. Therefore, you can increase your soccer running fitness by doing "fartleks." This is when you sprint at regular intervals when you are on a run. For instance, try to run at a jog for 20 minutes. Every five minutes, increase your jog to a full sprint for 30 seconds (the fartlek), then slow back down to your jog. As you get better, you can run for longer periods and sprint for longer periods. For now, jog for 20 minutes with the sprints every five minutes.

2. Exercises - stomach exercises are very important. Do as many crunches in a sitting as you can. The crunches with your legs extended upward are very effective. Also, try to hold the "Bridges" for two minutes, then add on 15 seconds the next times you do them. Hold side bridges for about 30 seconds or as long as you can stand them.

TECHNICAL

1. Wall touches. If you have a brick wall at your house, and chances are you do (and your parents let you), practice striking a soccer ball against the wall. You only need to stand about 5 ft away from the wall to be effective. Hit the ball 100 times with each your left and right feet trapping the ball each time or playing one-touch back to the wall. This is a great way to improve your touch. You can also throw the ball against the wall and head it back or body trap. Do 50 body traps.

2. Juggling. If you don't have a wall, you can juggle the ball. Remember also to throw the ball a few feet in the air and practice trapping it with all parts of your body (except hands and arms!)

If you do these few fitness and technical drills, you can greatly enhance your game in a short time. You won't need to spend time at practice going over the basics.

Good luck!

Schedule Updates

2006-01-11T10:25:00.000-08:00

Practice for Saturday, Jan. 14th has been moved to 11:30 AM - 1 PM at Johnson Park in Collierville. Johnson Park is located at the extreme north end of Byhalia Rd. Byhalia actually ends at the beginning of the Park. Drive through the park and we will practice near the Nature Center in the rear of the park. Bring a ball, water, cleats, etc.

Also our scrimmage on Jan. 22 will be against MFC 91. Meet at the Quince Road entrance of May Park at 2:00 PM. Kick-off will be at approx. 2:30 PM. Bring a ball, water, cleats, etc. Important: at this game, my wife Jennifer will get size info for the girls so we can disperse uniforms as they come in.

Coach Sonny

Indoor Training

2006-01-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

Ladies,
indoor training will take place for us every Tuesday and Thursday at Goose's in Collierville from 7:45 - 8:30 PM. Please bring a ball and water and wear indoor tennis shoes. No shinguards or cleats necessary. Please arrive in enough time to begin promptly at 7:45 PM.

Directions to Goose's...
From Nonconnah Parkway - exit on the last ramp, turn left onto Hwy. 72. Go straight about 1/2 mile. Go through the stoplight and make the next right after you see the Cancun restaurant on your right.

From Poplar - turn right onto Hwy 72, pass Funquest and Fred's on your left. When you see the Memorex sign on your right, turn LEFT into the parking lot. If you come to the light, you've gone too far.

Coach Sonny

Lady Cougars 91

2005-11-01T09:15:00.000-08:00

Welcome! This site has been created for those girls interested in playing competitive soccer for the Collierville Soccer Association's Lady Cougars 91 soccer team for the Spring of 2006. I will keep you updated on important dates with regard to the upcoming season.

Coach Sonny
853-8982
sonnyb@midsouth.rr.com